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Every time Congress has taken a serious look at proposals to boost Internet sales taxes, it has rejected them. That's probably why pro-tax Senators are trying to rush through an online tax hike with as little consideration as possible.

As early as Monday, the Senate will vote on a bill that was introduced only last Tuesday. The text of this legislation, which would fundamentally change interstate commerce, only became available on the Library of Congress website over the weekend. And you thought ObamaCare was jammed through Nancy Pelosi's Democratic House in a hurry. >>>

>>> For the first time, online merchants would be forced to collect sales taxes for all of America's estimated 9,600 state and local taxing authorities.

New Hampshire, for example, has no sales tax, but a Granite State Web merchant would be forced to collect and remit sales taxes to all the governments that do. Small online sellers will therefore have to comply with tax laws created by distant governments in which they have no representation, and in places where they consume no local services.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire's brick-and-mortar retailers will bear no such burden. >>>

So big business and big government are uniting to pursue their mutual interest in sticking it to the little guy. >>>

Some of our conservative friends are backing this Internet tax raid as a way to raise revenue to avoid more state income-tax increases. More likely the new revenues will merely fund larger government. Republicans who are realists about government would be wiser to join Senators Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) and Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.), who are leading the opposition.

The drivers of this rush to tax are Wal-Mart WMT -0.41%and other big retailers that can more easily absorb the costs of collection than can smaller competitors. Also supporting the bill is Internet giant Amazon, which coincidentally now sells its own tax compliance service to other merchants. Adding to the lobbying muscle are state and local governments. The politicians believe they'll collect tens of billions of dollars in taxes that are already owed by shoppers on remote sales but rarely paid.

As long as the brainwashed American public votes fools into office we will get more of this. Laws and taxes don't seem to ever go away even when conservatives are elected once again, it would seem the money is already spent long before the tax revenue arrives.
French revolution anyone?

The difference between pigs and people is that when they tell you you're cured it isn't a good thing.

Both my Senators support strongly support it, McCaskill (D) and Blunt (R). If I could strand them together on a desert island for the rest of their lives, I would, they deserve each other for this one.

I know I am going to get blasted here but isn't everything we buy in a store taxed? So why should the internet be different? or are people just pissed they have to pay more?

No blast here. I agree entirely, so long as the federal law would give states the option of collecting the sales tax, which I understand this bill does.

Why should someone in Tennessee be able to dodge the sales tax when the point of sale, and the point of delivery of the merchandise, is right here in the state? That's a lot of lost revenue that, if it were made up, could offer a chance to lower the sales tax rate overall. No one complains that people who spend only part of a year in New York, or indeed only work in New York and live in another state, can be chased down by the state of New York anywhere in the nation and be made to cough up state and city income taxes. So why does anyone think that it's somehow wrong for a state to collect sales taxes where they occur?

AFAIC, broadening the tax base is a good idea.

And if you don't like it, then lobby your state legislature. You'll get a lot farther with them than you will the Beltway Bandits anyway.

I know I am going to get blasted here but isn't everything we buy in a store taxed? So why should the internet be different? or are people just pissed they have to pay more?

Read the article. Part of this 'strategy' is to eliminate competition from 'the little guy'. Thats who this will effect the greatest. It will eliminate most of them.

'Competition' - a strange and evil word in the 0bama/Marxist lexicon. So now States that dont share in the 'tax everything that moves' philosophy will be forced to do so regardless of what its citizens want.

I would like to add that the 'brick-and-mortar' shop owners receive numerous benefits from sales taxes ie: local police and fire protection, infrastructure improvements, etc. If local stores are losing business, then perhaps the taxes should be lowered to reduce the penalty of shopping locally.

I would like to add that the 'brick-and-mortar' shop owners receive numerous benefits from sales taxes ie: local police and fire protection, infrastructure improvements, etc. If local stores are losing business, then perhaps the taxes should be lowered to reduce the penalty of shopping locally.